Coachella mayor and 2 newly elected members of city council are sworn in

With results from the Nov. 8 election certified, Coachella on Wednesday swore in two new councilmembers, Stephanie Virgen and Frank Figueroa, and Mayor Steven Hernandez, who was re-elected to a fifth term.

The councilmembers' terms last four years and the mayoral term two years.

Virgen and Figueroa replace Megan Beaman Jacinto, who did not seek re-election, and Josephine Gonzalez, who ran but came in third in a field of four.

Hernandez surpassed challenger Denise Delgado by 59 votes. Delgado has served on the council since 2020 and has two years left in her term.

Thanking his campaign staff after being sworn in, Hernandez said: "This was a really good campaign. It was a competitive campaign."

Hernandez emphasized affordable housing projects, small business development, new parks and issues in public safety within the city as part of the work he sees ahead.

"I've been saying that Coachella's best days are ahead of it, and I truly believe that. ...The best is yet to come," Hernandez said.

On Wednesday, the city council recognized the outgoing councilmembers' service to the community. Beaman Jacinto and Gonzalez had both been elected in 2018. Neither was present at the special meeting.

On Tuesday, Virgen attended her last meeting of the Coachella Planning Commission, where she had served as chair since June 2019. She said she hoped to "continue moving the city forward and delivering results for Coachella families" in her new position on the city council.

Virgen told The Desert Sun prior to the election that she wants to promote affordable housing and access to early childhood education and childcare in the city.

Figueroa was sworn in by former Coachella mayor and councilmember Larry Salas, who said Figueroa had been a student of his at Coachella Valley High School, where he was a counselor.

"It's really a pleasure to have had him ask me to swear him in," Salas said.

Figueroa thanked Salas as well as his family and the residents of Coachella. He said he was "ready to work for everybody... in the community, (on) the dais, and everywhere that we are present."

Figueroa had also served on the planning commission, since February 2021.

On council, Figueroa said he hopes to increase the civic participation of “a very young, inactive community,” and create a human rights commission, much like the one in Palm Springs.

Mayor Pro Tem Neftali Galarza also remains on council; his term lasts through 2024.

Following the special meeting, the new city council stepped out of the council chambers together, where they were welcomed by a mariachi group. They then participated in the city's Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

Desert Sun staff photographer Andy Abeyta contributed to this report.

Eliana Perez covers the eastern Coachella Valley. Reach her at eliana.perez@thedesertsun.com or on Twitter @ElianaPress.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella mayor and new city council members Virgen, Figueroa sworn in